Considering that nasolabial folds are not "wrinkles" in the conventional sense, why are fillers typically used to treat them?

there are many things that are used for nasolabial folds not just fillers we do fillers, threads, morpheus, and accutite.

at home peels like cosmelan, enlighten and AERIFY along with dermarolling (MTS roller with anteage MD ampules weekly see link) should be started now to prevent further aging.

For facial rejuvenation, I would suggest a combination approach of
1) skin care with products and PRP/microneedling
2) PDT light therapy few times a month with growth factors
3) laser treatments like clear and brilliant regularly and a few times a year Fraxel/halo Viva, Co2/Erbium
4) Sculptra injections a few times a year for collagen production with fillers like juvederm/restylane/belotero/radiesse/bellafill
5) thermage/ultherapy for yearly skin tightening with or without PDO or cone based instalift threads for lifting
6) botox every 2-3 months to stop movement lines and prevent lines at rest
7) deep microneedling RF like Fractora/morpheus8 for tightening of the skin
8) Vascular laser like vbeam/excel V or BBL forever young treatment every quarter (3-4 months)

Best, Dr. Emer.

In many cases, when there is a prominent nasolabial fold, there will also be an area of hollowness above and to the side of it. When fillers are placed into this area of hollowness, it often will help to pull back the skin of the fold and improve it. In certain instances, some filler may also be placed under the fold to help as well.

Hello and thank you for your question. As we age we are "sinkers and saggers". Gravity is pulling our skin and soft tissue envelope along with our fat pads inferiorly at the same time we are shrinking in size with a gradual loss of our upper and lower jaw height. This results in a gradual collapsing or infolding of tissues upon themselves. You are very observant regarding only treating the Nasolabial fold with filler. If one continues to only fill the fold directly, there will eventually be a non aesthetic look achieved. I liken it to a "Simian" or ape like appearance. If the patient undergoes a consultation and is found to have not only a pronounced nasolabial fold, but also a deepened jugal-facial fold especially with a significant tear trough deficiency; I like to fill along the orbital rim with Bellafill or lower with hyaluronic acid products along with "cross-hatching" into the nasolabial fold area to improve the entire cheek complex, not just the nasolabial fold.

Hello and thank you for your question. Fillers add volume and add a “lifting” effect thereby correcting a sagging look. If you’re interested in getting fillers make sure you go to a doctor who is very experienced with injecting fillers. Best wishes.
Dr. T

Thank you for your question. Some people have deeper nasolabial folds than others and it isn't necessarily all due to volume loss in other areas of the face. Treating the cheeks with filler alone will not create enough lift to minimize the nasolabial folds so filler to the folds is also necessary.

Fillers use volume to support underlying tissues and replace lost volume which occurs with age and genetics. The result is a lifting effect and lessening of the depth of lines in the nasolabial area.

Hello, filler is often injected into the cheeks to create a lifting effect which will help pick up the drooping skin causing the nasolabial folds. Some filler may be injected directly into the fold as well to fill it and make it less noticeable.

Hi there! This is an excellent question. There are actually two types of wrinkles...dynamic and static. Dynamic wrinkles are those caused by your animation, like the lines across the forehead, crow's feet, etc. These lines are treated using something like Botox or Dysport, because these products treat the muscles that are creating the movement and hence the wrinkle. Static wrinkles are caused by a loss of volume, gravity, and a loss of elasticity. Examples of these types of wrinkles would be the smile lines and marionettes, or jowling. Treating these types of wrinkles with filler is necessary in order to replace the lost volume, be it fat, bone, or collagen. By replacing some of the lost volume, a lifting effect takes place. In general, if a patient has deep nasolabial folds, it is because of a loss of volume in the mid face, i.e. the cheeks. In an effort to create a natural and balanced appearance, we generally begin by replacing the volume in the cheeks, which oftentimes corrects the nasolabial folds completely, depending on how advanced they are. Once mid face volume is restored, we can then add additional filler to the lower face as needed. I really hope this helps you and wish you the best in your filler journey. Enjoy!
Ivette M. Ballara, RN, BSNAdvanced Aesthetic Nurse

Fillers are not just for wrinkles. They are meant to do exactly that-to fill areas that have lost vibrancy and fat. This is what causes the drooping. The skin isn’t sagging on its own but has lost the underlying fat. The filler acts as a replacement. Hope this is comprehensible.

Hello! That is an excellent question, astute actually. I’ve found that people begin to see that they are aging, they stare at themselves in the mirror and try to figure out what is it on their face that’s making them look old. They’re hunting for “that wrinkle” that is making them look old. They see the nasolabial fold and they assign blame to that. The reason the nasolabial fold begins to look prominent is because you lose volume caused by fat loss in your medial cheek underneath your eyelid. When that spot goes flat, the skin right above the nasolabial fold produces more of a flap. The proper treatment is to refill the volume loss in the cheek first. I redirect every single patient to fill their cheeks first. Often when you refill the cheek, you regain a look of youthful roundness, and often you’ll forget about the nasolabial fold. If you focus on erasing the nasal labial fold with filler, it can lead to an abnormal, unnatural look. I work to protect people from creating this bizarre look. I do fill nasolabial folds sometimes. In a person who has a very deep crease, even after cheek filler, it’s proper to make that crease not so dark by elevating the skin some. Have a great day!